Raspberry Pi has announced the release of the Pico 2 W, a microcontroller board designed to enable users to build hardware projects at scale. The Pico 2 W is built around the RP2350, Raspberry Pi's own well-documented microcontroller, and offers a range of features that make it an attractive option for hobbyists and industrial users alike.

For those unfamiliar, microcontrollers are designed to interact with other electronic components or devices, unlike traditional Raspberry Pi computers which are general-purpose single-board computers. Microcontrollers are typically cheap, small, and power-efficient, making them ideal for a wide range of applications. The Pico 2 W features dozens of input and output pins, allowing it to communicate with other components, and can be used in conjunction with a breadboard to avoid soldering.

One key difference between microcontrollers and traditional computers is that they don't run a full-fledged operating system. Instead, code runs directly on the chip, making them highly efficient and flexible. The Pico 2 W supports development in C, C++, and MicroPython, a Python-inspired language for microcontrollers, and retains hardware and software compatibility with previous generation boards.

The Pico 2 W boasts a dual-core, dual-architecture processor running at 150MHz, giving users the option to choose between Arm Cortex-M33 cores and open-hardware Hazard 3 RISC-V cores. This flexibility is likely to appeal to users who require specific architectures for their projects. The board also features 4 MB of on-board flash memory to store code, as well as 520 KB of on-chip SRAM.

In terms of wireless capabilities, the Pico 2 W supports Wi-Fi (2.4GHz 802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.2, although the lack of 5GHz support may be seen as a limitation by some users. For those who don't require wireless features, Raspberry Pi offers the Pico 2 without wireless capabilities for $5, a significant cost saving.

The Pico 2 W is priced at $7, making it an affordable option for hobbyists and industrial users. The fact that Raspberry Pi offers individual units as well as 480-unit reels suggests that the company is targeting industrial and electronics manufacturing companies, which accounted for 72% of its sales when it went public earlier this year.

The release of the Pico 2 W is likely to have significant implications for the IoT and embedded systems industries, where microcontrollers play a critical role. As the demand for scalable and efficient hardware solutions continues to grow, the Pico 2 W is well-positioned to become a popular choice among developers and manufacturers.

In conclusion, the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W represents a significant development in the world of microcontrollers, offering a powerful and flexible solution for hardware projects at scale. With its dual-core processor, wireless capabilities, and affordability, it is likely to appeal to a wide range of users, from hobbyists to industrial manufacturers.